The Apostles are given the keys to the Kingdom of God. What does that mean?

Fr Dominic
Parish Priest

The Kingdom of God means the ruling of God in our hearts; it means those principles which separate us from the kingdom of the world and the devil; it means the gentle influence of grace to help us do better and be better persons; it means the Church as that Divine institution whereby we may make sure of attaining the spirit of Christ and so win that ultimate kingdom of God. In the Biblical era keys are hugely important. They were very, very large and worn over the shoulder. Common people didn’t have keys and locks, but the king’s palace did, and to one completely trusted person was the key to the palace given. It was a great honour. In today’s Gospel Peter and the apostles are given the trust, the responsibility of the keys of the kingdom. Whatever doors they open, they remain open and whatever doors they lock they remain shut. It is a huge honour and also a huge responsibility. They are still men – they still make mistakes – but somehow Jesus trusts them. He does this because they answered his question “who do you say that I am?” They understood that he was the Christ, the Son of God. That is ultimately the question, each and everyone of us has to answer. Our belief in Jesus as our God, and our Saviour, our Messiah, is enough to give us the grace to be better persons, allow us to be forgiven of our sins and then this leads us to make us aware of the other people around us, our neighbours, who may need our help and consolation. Following through on that can make the kingdom of heaven a reality. Good News indeed!

Young people, and their families, who have sat A Levels, GCSE’s, BTech
I cannot imagine what trouble, tension, upset that you are all experiencing. Please be assured of our prayers at this very difficult time. Please do not hesitate to come for a chat if you feel the need. I wish all of you the success you deserve. It is hard to be a pawn in a very muddled political, scientific and mathematical maelstrom.